


The Devil's Chocolate

by poetofstarlight



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-18
Updated: 2018-07-18
Packaged: 2019-06-12 13:47:54
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,426
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15341166
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/poetofstarlight/pseuds/poetofstarlight
Summary: It's the Marauders seventh year at Hogwarts, and James has finally managed to get a date with Lily. Sirius, however, could not be less happy for his friend. As James leaves with Lily for Hogsmeade, and Peter with his own date, Remus and a rather bitter Sirius are left with the day to themselves.





	The Devil's Chocolate

**Author's Note:**

> I do not own any part of Harry Potter, as it belongs to J.K. Rowling. I only own the plot I made up. Enjoy!

“Do you think I ought to wear robes or Muggle clothes?” James asked.

Sirius glanced up from the Marauder’s Map and rolled his eyes. “I don’t know, Prongs. Who cares?”

“I do!” James exclaimed. His hair was even more untidy than usual, as he kept ruffling it in his nervousness. Nearly every item of clothing he owned was now strewn across their dormitory floor, leaving his trunk empty. “And Lily, possibly.”

“I don’t think she’s going to care that much what you’re wearing, James,” Remus said from the window seat, not looking up from the book he had his nose buried in.

“I’m just wearing school robes,” Peter shrugged. He was sitting on his bed, indulging himself in Chocolate Frogs.

“Well I don’t think you’re exactly an expert on fashion, then, are you?” James said.

“This whole day is ridiculous,” Sirius declared.

“What, Valentine’s Day?” Remus asked, making eye contact with Sirius from across the room.

Sirius shrugged and looked back down at the map. “Yes. It’s just an excuse for people to go on dates.”

“What, and you’re not one for dates?” James snickered.

“No, actually, I’m not,” Sirius replied. “They’re overrated.”

“I think they’re lovely,” Peter chimed in.

“How would you know? You’ve never even been on one,” Sirius argued.

“I’m going on one today.”

“That doesn’t make a difference.”

“Well I think the idea of them is lovely,” Peter concluded. Sirius rolled his eyes.

“Oh please, you’re just bitter because you don’t have a date to Hogsmeade for once,” James grinned.

“I am not bitter, I just don’t see why one day should be any different than all the other days,” Sirius replied.

“What about Christmas? And birthdays?”

“That’s different.”

“See? You’re bitter.”

“You of all people don’t think this is ridiculous?” Sirius chuckled.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” James demanded.

“It means you’ve literally got your entire wardrobe spread out across our floor,” Sirius answered. “All because of some stupid date.”

“It isn’t just some stupid date,” James said grumpily, returning to his rummaging of clothes.

“What makes it different from all the others?” Sirius asked.

James glared at him but didn’t reply. Remus grinned.

“He’s in love,” he said.

Sirius laughed. “Don’t be ridiculous too, Moony. He can’t be in love. This is their first date.”

“Oh please, he’s been pining after her for years!” Remus replied.

“Sod off, the both of you,” James snapped.

Sirius looked back down at the map, still annoyed.

“You’re literally taking longer than Evans,” he said.

“What?”

“The map,” Sirius explained, tapping his wand on Lily’s name. “She’s already in the Great Hall. Maybe you ought to go see what she’s wearing, and then the two of you can compile matching outfits together.”

“Shut up,” James said. Then added, “Can I borrow your jacket?”

Sirius stared at him blankly. “What?”

“Your jacket,” James repeated. “The leather one. Can I borrow it for today?”

“What am I supposed to wear, then?” Sirius asked.

“You’re not going on a date,” James replied. “Are you even going to Hogsmeade at all?”

“Possibly,” Sirius said grudgingly. “I’ve been needing to visit Zonko’s.”

“C’mon, Padfoot,” James nearly whined. “Just for the day? It’s not like anything’s gonna happen to it.”

Sirius rolled his eyes. “Fine. But you’d better give it back.”

“You’re the best, mate,” James grinned, grabbing the jacket from Sirius’s bed and pulling it on over his t-shirt. He’d apparently settled on Muggle clothes. “Are you meeting Nancy in the Hall, Peter? I’m heading down there now.”

Peter nodded, slipping off his bed and walking toward the door.

“See you blokes later,” James grinned at Sirius and Remus, ruffling the back of his hair. He closed the door behind himself and Peter.

Sirius rolled his eyes and stared back down at the map, but he wasn’t paying attention to anything that was happening on it.

After a long while, Remus snapped his book shut suddenly. “What’s up with you today?”

“Nothing,” Sirius answered immediately.

“I’ve never heard you and James bicker more,” Remus said.

Sirius sighed, staring hardly at the map so he wouldn’t have to meet Remus’s gaze. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Why not?”

“Because I don’t enjoy spilling my guts to people.”

“C’mon, you’ve been in a mood ever since—well, ever since Lily agreed to go on a date with James.”

Sirius glared at the map. “What part of ‘I don’t want to talk about it’ do you not understand?”

“Do you like her?”

“What?”

“Lily—do you like her?”

“I dunno Moony, she’s alright,” Sirius said, exasperated.

“No, Sirius,” Remus couldn’t help but roll his eyes. “I mean do you have feelings for her? Is that why you’re annoyed with James?”

“No! I do not have feelings for Lily Evans,” Sirius exclaimed. “Merlin’s beard!”

“Then how come you haven’t got a date for today?”

“Have you not been listening at all? I said dates were overrated.”

“That hasn’t ever stopped you from going on one before.”

“I do not have feelings for Lily Evans!” Sirius exclaimed again. “I don’t have feelings for anyone, really.”

“Fine,” Remus sighed. “Forget I even bothered.”

He returned to his book, annoyed and slightly hurt.

“He’s just so different this year,” Sirius blurted, even though he hadn’t even thought the sentence up in his head before saying it. “He gets appointed Head Boy and suddenly he’s too good for us.”

“For us?”

“For me,” Sirius corrected, finally looking at Remus. “He hasn’t wanted to do anything mischievous all year. I mean I get it, we’re seventh years and it’s sort of childish at this point, but it’s still fun sometimes.”

Remus shrugged. “People change.”

“I haven’t.”

“Some people change,” Remus couldn’t help but smile.

“It’s all because of her, you know,” Sirius said. “I never even understood his fascination with her. I mean, she’s hot enough, I suppose, but she’s just a prissy teacher’s pet who hasn’t broken a rule in her life.”

“You’d like her if you got to know her,” Remus said.

“That’s dubious.”

“Trust me,” Remus smirked. “There’s more to Lily Evans than you think.”

“Why should I even want to get to know her? She’s transformed my best friend into a rule-abiding Head Boy. And it’s always ‘Lily this’ and ‘Lily that’ every moment of every day. I’m sick of it. I’m tired of hearing about Lily Fucking Evans. I mean, honestly, hasn’t he got anything better to think about?”

“She wasn’t the one that made him Head Boy,” Remus pointed out.

“What’s that got to do with it?”

“I mean this isn’t the first year he’s started acting more decent,” Remus replied. “He had to act decent last year to get chosen as Head Boy. He’s been acting decent for a while now.”

“So then I’m indecent?”

“I never said it was a bad thing.”

Sirius looked back down at his paper. The next time he spoke his voice was quiet and small. “Everything’s just changing so fast, Moony. I don’t want him to change too.”

“Things don’t have to change if you don’t want them too,” Remus shrugged.

“What I want has nothing to do with it,” Sirius responded. “And what I want is to not lose my best friend to some redheaded nitwit.”

“Lily is not a nitwit, and you are not losing your best friend,” Remus said. “He isn’t going to abandon your friendship just because he starts dating Lily.”

“But what if all that’s keeping him around is Hogwarts? What if the only reason we’ve even stayed friends so long is because we share a dormitory? What if after we graduate, he just—goes his own way? What if we all do?”

“Now you’re being ridiculous,” Remus grinned, standing up from the window seat and crossing over to the end of his bed, where he opened his trunk. “James values your friendship just as much as you do. So stop getting your wand in a knot.”

“But what if—”

“Seriously, Sirius. You’re being silly,” Remus said, pulling out a coat from his trunk. “C’mon, let’s go to Hogsmeade.”

“I don’t want to,” Sirius answered stubbornly.

“You’d rather sit in here and stare at the map all day? It’s hardly even got anyone on it, they’re all in Hogsmeade.”

“I haven’t got a coat.”

Remus threw the one in his hands at Sirius. “Borrow mine.”

“What’ll you wear?”

“My other coat,” Remus said, fishing it out of his trunk. “You know, most people invest in more than one.”

Sirius put the coat on. It was long, made of wool, and a sandy color—not like anything Sirius would ever wear. But it smelled like burning candles and parchment and ink and cinnamon. Just like Moony. He smiled to himself.

They used the secret passage to Honeydukes because they couldn’t leave out the entrance door anymore, since the professors had already checked off everyone who was going to Hogsmeade. When they reached the cellar of the sweet shop, Sirius spotted a fresh shipment of Pepper Imps and slipped a box into the pocket of Remus’s borrowed coat.

“I hope you’re planning on paying for that,” Remus said, taking a step up the stairs.

“Can’t,” Sirius shrugged. “I’m broke.”

“You’re rich.”

“Not since I ran away.”

“Didn’t your uncle make a sizable donation to that cause?” Remus grinned.

“Yes, but money goes surprisingly fast, Moony, when you have to buy school books and robes and have no replenishing income,” Sirius replied.

“Nonsense,” Remus said, reaching into the coat pocket and removing the Pepper Imps. “I’m paying for it.”

“I don’t need charity, Moony” Sirius said.

“This isn’t charity, Padfoot,” Remus shook his head. “If this were charity, I would save you from your terrible candy preference and buy you some quality chocolate.”

Sirius grinned. “I change my mind. Please give me charity.”

Remus laughed, and ascended the stairs. Sirius followed quickly behind.

Remus really did buy Sirius some quality chocolate. “Don’t bother with Chocolate Frogs,” he told Sirius, taking him to a back shelf of the store. “You’re mainly just paying for the card with those. If you want some truly good chocolate, you’ve got to go with this.”

He handed Sirius a sizable chocolate bar. “Devil’s Chocolate?”

“One bite and you’re addicted,” Remus recited the slogan.

“I’m not sure I’m ready for such a commitment.”

“Oh c’mon, it’s just an advertising technique,” Remus grinned, taking the chocolate from Sirius and walking to the cash register.

They walked to the hill that overlooked the Shrieking Shack and sat in the snow. Sirius held the Devil’s Chocolate in his hands and stared at it untrustingly.

Remus started cracking up. “C’mon Sirius, it’s just chocolate. It’s not going to hurt you.”

“But this one’s Devil’s Chocolate,” Sirius replied. “You’ve no idea what it might have up it’s sleeve.”

Remus laughed. “Sirius, I eat it all the time.”

“That’s what I’m afraid of. Will I too turn into a chocolate connoisseur? Will I never be able to eat a Chocolate Frog again? I have a growing collection of wizard cards to think about, you know.”

“You really are the ridiculous one,” Remus shook his head, grinning.

“If I try the Devil’s Chocolate, you have to try a Pepper Imp,” Sirius said, tossing him the package.

Remus caught it. “That isn’t fair.”

“Of course it is.”

“Fine,” Remus agreed. “On the count of three.”

“Alright,” Sirius said, unwrapping the chocolate. “One. Two. Three.”

He bit into the bar, and it truly was glorious. It melted immediately on his tongue, and it tasted sweeter somehow than any chocolate he’d ever tried. Tasted like…like all the good things in the world, most predominantly cinnamon.

Remus spit out the Pepper Imp, grimacing. “That’s terrible.”

“Hey! That’s not fair! You have to finish it,” Sirius said.

“Too late,” Remus shrugged, moving his mittened hand to cover the discarded Pepper Imp in a pile of snow. “So, what does yours taste like?”

“Amazing.”

“No, I mean what does it taste like?” Remus asked. “It tastes slightly different to everyone. I think they put some form of Amortentia in it.”

“Wait. There’s love potion in this?” Sirius said, pulling the chocolate bar away from his mouth.

“No, not love potion,” Remus said. “But it has a similar affect. It’s supposed to taste like chocolate and a few of the things you love most.”

“What if I love garlic bread the most.”

“What?”

“What if my favorite thing in the entire world is garlic bread,” Sirius said. “That would taste terrible with chocolate.”

“Nothing tastes terrible with chocolate,” Remus defended. “So what does yours taste like?”

Sirius shrugged. “A lot of things. Mostly cinnamon, I guess? What about you?”

Remus reached over and broke off a piece of the chocolate. He put it in his mouth. Then replied, “Chocolate.”

“You’re kidding me, right,” Sirius said in disbelief.

“No.”

“Remus, you have the opportunity to taste the most glorious flavor in the world and all you taste is chocolate?”

“Chocolate is the most glorious flavor in the world.”

Sirius shook his head. “And you say I’m ridiculous.”

Remus laughed, and broke off another piece of chocolate for himself.

“It does taste a bit minty,” he admitted.

The two friends sat in silence for a while, enjoying the Devil’s Chocolate. But then Remus couldn’t keep quiet any longer.

“You never said why you haven’t got a date for today,” Remus said.

Sirius shrugged. “Didn’t feel like it.”

“I don’t believe you,” Remus said. “You’re always one for a date.”

“I’m always one for a good snogging,” Sirius corrected.

“C’mon,” Remus said. “What gives?”

Sirius studied his hands. He didn’t think he could explain it to Moony, but at the same time, he really wanted to. “I just—I’m not into it.”

“Into what?”

“People.”

“Since when?”

“I just—I don’t know how to explain it, Moony,” Sirius said. He shook his head. “Forget it.”

They were quiet again. Remus bit his lip. 'Mostly cinnamon, I guess', Sirius had said. He took a breath, then before he could stop himself, leaned over close enough that his lips were nearly touching Sirius’s ear and whispered, “People? Or girls?”

Sirius shuddered at the feeling of Remus’s breath on his skin. He turned his head to face Remus, and they were close enough that Sirius couldn’t look into both of Remus’s pale eyes at once.

“You smell like cinnamon,” Sirius said dumbly.

“I know,” Remus replied, and before the other boy could reply, he closed the gap between them, meeting Sirius’s lips, which tasted like mint.


End file.
